


press on down the road

by rories



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic, F/M, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 18:11:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11788644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rories/pseuds/rories
Summary: an alternate version of post season two. liz and tom run away together. they're not okay. but they will be.i love you despite the warning signs





	press on down the road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Takada_Saiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takada_Saiko/gifts).



It’s surprisingly easy to fall into old habits with Tom. It’s like her mind and heart never really gave up on him, never quite let go. So when she’s framed for murder, he’s the first person she thinks of. She begs him to run away with her, can picture the life they could lead, if only they could get away. He tries to tell her that it’s a bad idea, that if she leaves, she’ll never get the answers she truly seeks and will never be happy. She understands, she does, but she also knows that if she doesn’t remove herself from the situation that she’s in, she will die. 

Tom tries to convince her that Reddington can protect her, protect them, but even she can hear the hesitation in his voice. She wants to have faith in Reddington, but she has faith in no one and nothing at this point. It’s scary to her how far she’s fallen, what she’s willing to do to keep everyone safe. Her hands itch for the coldness of her weapon and she can’t always stop the clench of her hands around an imaginary gun.

So she begs some more and Tom has never really been able to deny her anything, even now after everything. He calls in some contacts and pulls a few favors, securing them new identities and a way out of town. 

They leave on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s easier than she thought to leave it all behind. She feels a pang of sadness at the loss of Aram and Samar and Ressler, but she knows they’re safer if she’s gone. She ignores the way a part of her feels like it’s missing when she thinks of Reddington. 

Tom drives them out of the city, two duffle bags and their dog in the back of a beat up four door. Liz wonders how many missed calls she has on the cellphone she dropped in a sidewalk trash can. How many of them are from Reddington? How many are from the Task Force? How many of her team will show up at her apartment? Will Cooper order forensics to search her place? How many favors will Reddington call in to find her? 

She wonders if she should have left a note. 

And then Tom reaches over the gear shift and threads his fingers in to hers. Liz feels that swoop in her belly, the same one she had when she first met him what feels like a lifetime ago. She watches as he lifts her hand to his lips and presses a brief kiss to the back of her hand, sending a blush crawling up her neck. She is in awe that he still manages to elicit these reactions after all these years, after everything they’ve been through.

Liz knows how people see him, how they think that she should never forgive him for what he’s done to her. But he’s proven himself and she can still see the man she loves in him. She’s not willing to put her faith and trust in him one hundred percent just yet, but she is willing to rebuild their relationship. 

He drives them out of the city, heads south on the interstate for a while, avoiding toll roads and hopping on back streets for awhile. They ditch the car in South Carolina and swap it out for an SUV that’s newer but still non descript. Liz flips through radio stations before drifting off to sleep outside of Charlotte. When she wakes up they’re in Alabama and they’re switching cars again and Liz offers to drive. 

Tom tries to stretch out in the backseat, switching places with Hudson - who licks Liz’s face on his way into the front seat - but he’s so tall that his knees bunch up and he sighs. Liz laughs and watches in the rearview mirror as he gets comfortable, continues to steal glances as he drifts off. She wants to be done with this trip, wants to be settled somewhere, so that she can curl up right next to him, hear his heartbeat in her ear. 

They make their way across the border to Mexico during the early hours on Friday morning. They stop in a small border town and sell the car for cash, grab some breakfast at a small taqueria, and buy a cellphone from a gas station. Tom assures her that this isn’t their final stop, but they’ll stay here for awhile until he can get them to their next place. 

The hotel they stay in for the night is old but clean and it has a functioning shower. Which, after nearly two days on the road, Liz is grateful for. The water isn’t very hot, but the complimentary soap smells nice and the shower is big enough for Tom to slip in behind her. 

She sighs when he wraps his arms around her, settles her weight against him as the water splashes over the two of them. He’s solid and real and while she doesn’t feel safe, not yet, won’t for awhile, she at least has this moment. Her eyes close as she leans back, shivers as he presses a kiss to her neck and laughs when he has to blink the water out of his eyes. 

They finish their shower as the water runs cold, towel off and share a toothbrush. They’re both bone tired, weary from their travels, but as Liz crawls into bed under the stiff, clean sheets, she feels a sense of contentment rush over her. 

They’re not safe, nowhere near it, and they still have a long road ahead of them. But for the first time in a long while, since before Washington, before Reddington, before Masha Rostova, Liz feels like maybe things will be okay. 

Tom slides in beside her, makes her flinch with the cold of his toes, wraps around her like he always does. This is familiar, this is what she’s been longing for since everything got flipped upside down. She rests her head on his chest, waits until they’re both settled, and lets out a sigh of contentment. She can hear the steady thump thump thump of his heart and syncs her breathing with his. This is where she’s meant to be. Here, in a shabby motel room, miles from everything she's known. Here, with a dog tucking himself behind her knees as she scoots closer to her husband. Here, where the light of the moon and the neon sign mix as it falls through the window. 

Here, this is home.


End file.
